FARMINGTON — Four Maine Teachers of the Year shared their experiences with students at the University of Maine at Farmington on Tuesday.

For three of them it was a return to their alma mater. They are: Shelly (McNeil) Moody, a 1998 UMF graduate and elementary teacher from Oakland and Teacher of the Year for 2011; Kevin Grover, a 1995 UMF graduate, Falmouth elementary school teacher and Teacher of the Year for 2010; and Gloria Noyes, a 1993 UMF graduate, elementary teacher in Westbrook and Teacher of the Year for 2009.

Joining the three was Argy Nestor, a 1995 Teacher of the Year, who taught visual arts for 30 years before joining the Maine Department of Education as the visual and performing arts specialist in 2006.

The four came to the campus Tuesday to tour education classes, answer questions and present a program on how to include parents in a partnership.

The visit highlighted each teacher’s belief in mentoring and learning from experienced teachers. It was also a time to give back, Noyes said about sharing their classroom knowledge.

Noyes’ best advice was “getting to know your students, teaching with dignity, respect and kindness. It’s teaching by what’s right in my heart,” she said.

“Teaching methods are good but when a child feels safe and nurtured in the classroom, you can teach them anything,” she said.

It also takes passion and a love for teaching or it can be challenging, she said.

It was through the extensive process of naming a teacher of the year that UMF junior Eric Brooks met Grover. Brooks participated in the Teacher of the Year program as an undergraduate evaluator, he said.

From that, a discussion began on the benefits of having parents involved and how to include them in their child’s education. It led to Tuesday’s visit by the four teachers.

It is something they would like to continue throughout campuses where students majoring in education perhaps can use modern technology, blogs and video-conferencing, to continue learning from experienced teachers.

There’s hope of continuing a relationship between the Teacher of the Year program and UMF and other colleges with education programs, Nestor said.

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